Need a North Coast tour!

[JoshP]

It's not so much the dive shop as just some of the guys who work there and their pals. Some will be Ab diving and the rest of us will be doing 2 tanks. Hopefuly I can make some dive buddies and get familiar with the dive site. Since I am still in my early 20s it is hard to find people with cash to get into it. If I have time I will prob do the bambo reef dive as well. Hopefuly the conditions are better on the 20th when I go. If you are ever trying to make a day trip or camping/ dive trip let me know.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Edit: Oh yeah, I almost forgot to tell you that the Jetty at Doran Beach is a decent free dive site (boat traffic-need float flag) for spearfishing, abalone and photo although the water is murky much of the time, and high winds are common. It's not Monterey by any stretch but it is beautiful in a different way. There is a diver on this site (ZKY?) who has some good stories about diving around spud point marina to view lots of invertibrates and nudis and so forth.


Steve

I've done several dives along the jetties out at Bodega, but I should tell you that those jetties are an advanced dive. The current can rip during tidal exchanges so tides must be taken into consideration when planning a dive. There is also lot's of boat traffic, the vis is low, surge can be challenging, there are many entaglement hazards such as fishing line and crab trap line.
There is also a GWS hazard although I think it's a liittle abstract to worry about. That hazard exists all along the coast, but I could speculate the hazard is probably greater there. It would be the other issues I mentioned that should be considered more strongly.The last time I was there the sea lions moved in out close to the end and I was constantly harassed and dive bombed on part of the dive. While this seems like fun it can become dangerous quickly if the beastmaster gets wind of an intruder.
The hike to and from the parking area to the dive site can be grueling.

It sounds like you are a very new diver and so personally I would recommend you pass on the jetties for now and save it for when you get a little more experience and a buddy that is fully capable and on board with your intentions. Even though it's a very shallow dive the jetties shouldn't be taken lightly.